Summer Art CampA Multimedia Summer Art Camp will be conducted at the River Valley Arts Center for kids kindergarten through fifth grade and will feature different art styles and mediums taught by Tonya Rhodes and pottery by Winston Taylor. The camps will take place June 9-13, July 14-18 and Aug. 4-8 from 9 a.m. to noon each day. A camp T-shirt, daily snacks, certificates and supplies are furnished for all camps. Call (479) 968-2452 to sign up.

Dover takes no action on bypassDOVER — The Dover City Council took no action regarding a proposed partnership with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) to construct a bypass on State Highway 7 in Dover during its regular meeting Tuesday night. City Attorney Deidre Luker said her understanding of a letter from the AHTD was that if the council decided against partnering with them and assuming maintenance of that section of highway, the state would s...

Lamar man dies after drowning accident CLARKSVILLE — Michael Mee, 35, of Lamar was pronounced dead by Johnson County Coroner Dave Cogan at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday as the result of an accidental drowning at a pond north of Lamar. According to a release from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, authorities received a call at approximately 3:36 p.m. from family members who stated they found Mee in a pond where he had been trimming weeds around the pond bank. Family me...

Local State Trooper promoted to SergeantCorporal Bobby Brown, 44, of Russellville was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sergeant Brown is an 18-year veteran of the department and has most recently been assigned to the department’s Executive Protection Section. Sergeant Brown will assume post supervisor duties within the Highway Patrol Division, Troop H. Lieutenant Bryan Davis, 47, of Alma has been promoted to the rank of captain and will assume duties as commander of Arkansas State ...

Another option for aquatic center?A topic nearly left off Tuesday’s agenda for the Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee garnered more discussion as to the location of a city aquatic center. Alderman Mark Tripp explained that he did not believe the 4.6-acre site on North Phoenix Avenue or the 3-acre Vick Field site on East Parkway Drive were options that should be considered for an aquatic center. Those proposed sites — recommended by the Russellville Recreation and Pa...

Arts Center summer painting classesThe dates for the River Valley Arts Center summer painting classes have been announced. Oil painting classes begin Tuesday and will be conducted from 6-9 p.m. each Tuesday for the next six weeks. Watercolor classes begin Wednesday and will be conducted each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon for the following six weeks. All levels of experience are invited, and a supply list will be provided.

2nd Annual Potts Inn Piddlin DaysThe second annual Potts Inn Piddlin’ Days will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Potts Inn. Participants will be able to do hands-on activities such as butter churning, candle making and cotton carding, and tours of the Potts Inn Museum will be available. In addition, the Pope County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers and Women’s Committees are hosting the Arkansas Farm Bureau Agriculture Education trailers. Activities in...

River bottoms history meetingDardanelle and the Dardanelle river bottoms will be the subject of the Pope County Historical Association meeting Friday at the Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center cafeteria in Russellville. Diane Gleason will present the program, which will be about the geography of the area and relationship between the town and the country life. It will concentrate on the 1900 to 1940 period and include communities that no longer exist. Dr. Gleason is from ...

Ray of Hope fundraiser shines for tornado victimsRay of Hope, a local Russellvillian nonprofit food pantry, raised $100 during a pizza sampling fundraiser for those affected by the recent storms in Vilonia and Mayflower. The fundraiser took place at the Russellville Center for the Arts and occurred prior to the commencement of Russellville’s first Balloons Over Russvegas Festival. The event required a $10 donation per person in exchange for pizza samplings and a drink. “It was a great event,...

Dardanelle passes grant resolutionDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council unanimously approved a resolution to apply for the Arkansas Rural Development Grant for the Dardanelle Boys and Girls Club during its regular meeting Monday. "It has to be applied for through the county or city," Mayor Carolyn McGee said after the meeting. "We handle all the finances that go with it, but there's no money out of the city for it." Basically, if the Dardanelle Boys and Girls Club is awarde...

Local artist featured in magazineA Pope County man was featured in the summer issue of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazine. Steve Garrison of Russellville created a hardwood sphere by gluing together 210 pieces — hexagons and pentagons — of ebonized oak. “My work tends to be mathematical, but only some of it I consider art,” Garrison said. “I am interested in spirals, spheres, polyhedrons and other unusual mathematical stuff.” The magazine, which is devoted to the art an...

Early voting beginsEarly voting for the May primaries started yesterday and will continue 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays until Election Day, May 20. All early voting takes place at the Pope County Election Headquarters at 1509 E. Main St. in Russellville, while the May 20 elections will be conducted from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at polling sites throughout the county. Several one-party contested races in the Arkansas River Valley will be...

Balloons over RussVegasThe first Balloons over RussVegas festival provided residents of the River Valley with multiple opportunities to view and enjoy colorful hot air balloons throughout the weekend full of festivities.

Oakes reveals 'Complete Streets' visionCity Engineer Michael Oakes showed the Russellville Planning Commission his vision for "Complete Streets" during its regular meeting last week. Oakes said Russellville's roads would undergo "a road diet." "Make the streets skinnier and make the lanes skinnier," he said. Most roads in Russellville currently have lanes that are 12 feet wide. Oakes proposed the roads instead should have 10-foot lanes with a bicycle lane on the outsides. During hi...

Steuber requests resolution against crematoriumScott Steuber asked the Pope County Quorum Court during its regular meeting Thursday to pass a resolution opposing the construction of a proposed cemetery and crematorium next to Center Valley Elementary School. Steuber, who will have children attending the elementary school for the next five years, said he was concerned about possible emissions from the crematorium. "Children and older adults are the most likely to be affected by particulate ...

News Briefs (May 3, 2014)Dover FD business meeting change The Dover Rural Fire Department annual business meeting scheduled for today has been moved to 7 p.m Saturday, May 10. Everyone in the Dover Rural district is invited. Anyone who has not paid their fire dues should mail $30 payment to PO Box 1 Dover, AR 72837. Be sure to list property address and mailing address with the payment. School Board seeks community input The Russellville School District Board of Educat...

DHS named top schoolDARDANELLE — Dardanelle High School (DHS) was named One of America's Best High Schools in 2014 by U.S. News and World Report magazine. "We are always thrilled to be on a good list," Principal Marcia Lawrence said. "It's a good thing for teachers, students and parents." The magazine reviewed 274 high schools in Arkansas and ranked DHS as 12th in the state. DHS was ranked nationally at 1,654 out of 31,242 high schools. Schools can received a gol...

WAGE to see new criteriaStudents may soon see changes to criteria for Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) certificates. "All changes are contigent upon state approval," Jackie Harris, WAGE coordinator, said during the group's regular meeting Wednesday. The suggested changes were developed during a two-day WAGE conference in April and include added curriculum such as requiring students to type 20 words per minute for all programs. WAGE submitted the pr...

Commission finalizes poll workersThe Pope County Election Commission finalized poll workers during a lengthy meeting Wednesday at the Pope County Election Headquarters. "Today was the deadline to appoint workers," Election Coordinator Sherry Polsgrove said after the meeting, adding there would still be "a few gaps" from workers not showing up. Earlier in April, commissioners made a list of available workers for each party. The commission began appointing workers for each loca...

Quorum Court hears Center Valley crematorium opposition The Pope County Quorum Court was greeted by a standing-room-only audience during Thursday’s regular meeting and heard spokesmen for and against the proposed Center Valley Gardens cemetery and crematorium. After less than half an hour of discussion, Justice of the Peace Doug Skelton asked resident Scott Steuber if the court could take a month to review more facts and look at an ordinance that would oppose the construction of the cemetery and cr...